Redmond hasn’t made an official announcement about Manos’s decision to quit the software giant, and could not immediately be reached for comment at time of writing.

Manos, who will head up global data centre design, operations, research and construction in his new role, confirmed the move in a statement released by Digital Realty Trust yesterday.

Additionally, he will oversee the launch of a new professional services offering that the company is remaining quiet about for now.

Manos joined Microsoft five years ago. In April 2008 he was promoted to the job of general manager for the firm’s data centre services division. In the same month, Microsoft announced plans to cram between 150 and 220 shipping containers filled with data centre gear into a new 500,000 square foot facility in Chicago.

"During my time at Microsoft, I have been able to devote a significant portion of my time to industry education concerning data centres, including development of industry standards and shaping the way companies design and build data centres,” said Manos.

“That has been very rewarding. One of the most appealing aspects about joining Digital Realty Trust is that I will be able to do that on an even larger scale," he added. ®